Cigarette extinguisher



Dec. 21, 1954 A. LUKS 2,697,440

CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER Filed March 8, 1952 2/ 2L1 5 22 al IN VEN T OR. ALBERT LuKs United States Patent OfiFice 2,697,449 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 2,697,440 G T X HI SH R. Albert Luks, ssays, N. v. '7 7' Application March 8, 1952, Serial No. 275,560 3 Claims c1. 131- -2s7 in a cigarette extinguisher.

The present invention proposes an improved cigarette extinguisher for attachment to an ash tray in a manner to receive and extinguish the lit ends of cigar and cigarette butts and then release the butts to drop into the usual ash receiving hollow or 'rece'ssin the top face of the ash tray.

Still further, the present invention proposes characterizing the extinguisher bya vertically extended bracket secured to the ash tray to one side of its ash receiving recess and upon the top end of which a pair of superimposed members a're mounted in a manner to receive between their adjacent faces the lit end of the cigar or cig'arette butt which is to be extinguished.

Another objectof the present invention proposes pivotally mounting one of the superimposed members to be This invention relates to newand useful improvements manually moved toward the other to clamp between the adjacent faces of those members the lit end of the inserted cigar or cigarette butt so as to extinguish the same.

As a further object of thepresentinvention; his proposed to extend the superimposedmembers over the ash receiving recess of'the ash tray 50' that when pressure is released on the pivotally mounted member, the extinguished cigar or cigarette butt will drop from between the members into the ash receiving recess of the tray to be disposed of.

The present invention further proposes an improved cigarette extinguisher which becomes an integralpart of the ash tray to always be'available' for extinguishing'the lit ends of cigar and cigarette butts to prevent fire' losses resulting from carelessly discarded cigar and cigarette butts while still lit.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide cigarette extinguishers of the type described which are simple and durable, which are effective for their intended purposes and which can be manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

On the accompanying drawings forming a material part of the present disclosure:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the cigarette extinguisher of the present invention applied to an ash tray shown in section and fragmentarily.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the extinguisher, per se.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the extinguisher.

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the pivotally supported member of the extinguisher shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. l, but illustrating the extinguisher constructed in accordance with a modification of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the extinguisher shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged partial vertical sectional View taken on the line 99 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the pivotally supported member of the extinguisher shown in Figs. 7 to 9.

The cigarette extinguisher, according to the first form of the present invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6, is designed to be mounted on an ash tray or similar ash receiving receptacle made of non-inflammable material. tray '15 has the usual ash receiving recess 16.v

The extinguisher is characterized by a vertically extended bracket 20 of an artistic metal such as stainless steel or the like mounted onthe ash tray 15 to one side of its ash receiving recess 16. At its bottom 20, the bracket 20 is provided with a right angularly extended foot portion 21 having an aperture 22. A bolt 23 or the like is passed through, the aperture 22 for securely attaching the bracket 29 to the ash tray, as shown in Fig. 1.

Extending laterally from the top end of the bracket 20, there is a superimposed pair of members 24 and 25 for receiving between their adjacent faces the lit end of a cigarette 26, as illustrated by the dot and dash lines in Fig. l. The member 24 is an integral extension of the top end of the bracket and extends upwardly over the recess 16 of the ash tray at an inclination. The member 24 will hereafter be referred to asthe fixed member. The member 25 is disposed beneath the fixed member 24 andis pivotally supported to move toward and away from the bottom face of the fixed member 24. The member 2 5 wi1l hereafter be referred to as the movable member.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the'movable member 25 has a concave top face adapted to extend partially about the lit end of the cigarette 26. Depending from the sides of the fixed member 24, closely adjacent its junction with the top end of the bracket 20, there is a pair of lugs 27. The inner end of the movable member 25 is fitted between the lugs 27 ,and has a pair of depending lugs 23.which are adapted to be. placed within and ad:

The ash jacent to the inner face of each lug 27. Aligned rivets member 2S'for movement relative to the fixed member 2.4..

Means are providedfor manually raising the movable member 25 relative to the fixed member 24 to squeeze the lit end of the cigarette 26 between the adjacent faces of,

The raising means is characterized by aplunger 30 which has'its intermediate portions vertically the members.

and 'slidably extending through an elongated slot 31 formed in the fixed member 24. The bottom end ofthe plunger 30 is formed with a cutout 32. The inner end portion 33 of the movable'rnember 25 is bent to depend therefrom and is formed with a slot 34, see particularly Fig. 6, which leaves a horizontal bar portion 35 at. the lower end of'the inner end portion 33. The bar portion 35. is received within the (intent 32, in the bottom endof the plunger 30 so that as the plunger 30 is depressed, the movable member 25 will be pivotedupwardly toward the fixed member 24. The movable member 25 being heavier than the plunger 3 0,normally seeks, by the action of gravity; the lowered position shown in the drawings;

Downward pivoting of the movable member is limited by the engagement of the bar portion 35 in the cutout 32. Beneath the fixed member 24, the plunger 30 is formed with an upwardly facing shoulder 36 to engage the material of the fixed member 24 at one end of the slot 31 to retain the plunger from being pulled upward out of the slot and so that the movable member 25 is retained in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

In assembling the extinguisher, the top end portion 37 of the plunger 30 is inserted upwardly through the slot 31 and then bent to extend at right angles thereto, see Fig. 5. The top end portion 37 serves as an operator for depressing the plunger 30 to pivot the movable member 25 upward. To ornament the extinguisher, a molded head of an animal 38 can be mounted on the top face of the right angularly bent top portion 37 of the plunger 30. The head of the animal 38 is secured to the top end portion 37 in any desired way as by the use of mucilage, by welding or the like.

The manner of using the extinguisher is as follows:

With the extinguisher mounted on the ash tray 15, as shown in Fig. 1, the lit end of the cigarette 26 is inserted between the adjacent faces of the members 24 and 25, as shown in Fig. 1. While holding the cigarette 26 with one hand, the other hand is used to depress the plunger 36. Immediately, the movable member 25 will be raised causing the lit end of the cigarette to be snuffed between the adjacent faces of the members 24 and 25. The cigarette 26 is released, but the plunger 30 is held depressed momentarily to insure complete snuffing of the cigarette. Then the plunger 30 is released so that the action of gravity may again lower the movable member 25 to the position shown in Fig. 1. The extinguished cigarette will then drop into the ash receiving recess 16 of the ash tray to be disposed of when the ash tray is emptied.

In the modification of the invention shown in Figs. 7 to 10, the construction of the extinguisher is similar to that previously described differing only in the relative arrangement of the fixed member 24' and the movable member 25'. In the modified construction, the fixed member 24' is an integral part of the top end of the bracket 20, but is inclined downwardly and inwardly. The movable member 25' is disposed above the fixed member 24'. The fixed member 24' closely adjacent its junction with the top end of the bracket is formed with a pair of upstanding lugs 40. The end of the movable member is formed with a pair of depending lugs 41 which extend along the outer faces of the lugs 40. A pivot pin 42 is passed through the pairs of lugs 40 and 41 pivotally supporting the movable member 25 to be manually lowered relative to the fixed member 24'. A coil spring 43 encircles the pin 42 between the adjacent faces of the lugs 40 and has one end 43 bearing against the top face of the fixed member 24'. The other end 43 of the spring 43 bears against the bottom face of the movable member 25'. The spring 43 in the position of the members 24 and 25 shown in Figs. 7 and 9, is under very little tension and functions merely to hold the movable member 25 raised off the fixed member 24' to receive the lit end of the cigarette 26, as shown in Fig. 7. Finger pressure against the top face of the movable member 25' lowers the movable member to compress the lit end of the cigarette 26 between the members 24' and 25 to extinguish the same. Lowering the movable member 25' tensions the spring 43 to again raise the movable member when the finger pressure thereon is again released.

To permit a close approach of the movable member 25 toward the fixed member 24', notwithstanding the presence of the spring 43 and related parts between the adjacent faces of those members, the movable member 25' is formed with an offset 44 closely adjacent its pivoted end and directed toward the fixed member 24'.

In all other respects, the form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 to 10 is similar to that described in connection with Figs. 1 to 6 and like reference numerals are used to identify like parts.

It is to be understood that the ash tray and the extinguisher parts may be made of any suitable material, size and with any desired ornamentation.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims."

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1. A cigarette extinguisher for an ash tray or the like having an ash receiving recess, comprising a vertically extending bracket adapted for attachment to the ash tray to one side of the recess thereof, and a pair of superimposed members located at the upper portion of said bracket for extension over the recess of the ash tray, said members being adapted to receive between their adjacent faces the lit end of a cigarette which is to be extinguished, one of said members being fixed and the other of said members being pivotable relative to said fixed member to clamp between their adjacent faces the lit end of the cigarette to extinguish the same, said fixed member being integral with the top end of said bracket, said fixed member being inclined upwardly and said pivotable member being pivotally mounted on and below said fixed member, and means for raising said pivotable member toward said fixed member, said raising means comprising a plunger adapted to be slid intermediate its ends through a slot formed in said fixed member, said plunger having its bottom end en- 4 gaged with the inner end of said pivotable member to raise the same when said plunger is depressed.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the plunger includes a stop to limit upward movement and said movable member includes means to limit the downward movement of said plunger.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said pivotable member comprises a concave face, and has a longitudinal slit at one end thereof to slidably receive said plunger and depending lugs secured to said pivotable member to enable said member to be pivoted upwardly.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 67,329 Bagby May 19, 1923 1,530,586 Wack Mar. 24, 1925 1,542,322 Rollman June 16, 1925 1,804,102 Kershaw May 5, 1931 1,810,492 Mears et al June 16, 1931 1,848,388 Seitz Mar. 8, 1932 2,236,156 Raisler Mar. 25, 1941 2,274,498 Napolillo Feb. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 140,244 Great Britain Mar. 25, 1920 1,191 Great Britain 1874 

